NAACP branch announces opposition to Westport effort

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City’s NAACP branch says it opposes a weapon-screening effort in the Westport bar and entertainment district that involves privatizing some sidewalks in the area.

The Kansas City Star reports that the civil rights organization plans to formally announce its opposition at a news conference Friday. Last week, the city council voted in favor of a pair of ordinances that would allow the city to relinquish its ownership of sidewalks along the district’s main corridors to the Westport Community Improvement District.

The action will allow metal detection checkpoints on weekend nights starting in the spring. Opponents worry the approach could lead to discrimination and sets a bad precedent of giving away public assets to private interests. NAACP officials say the ordinances may “increase civil rights violations, and increase racial tension.”